Examination Practice Questions And

Illinois MRI Technologist Licensing Examination Practice Questions And Correct Answers (Verified Answers) Plus Rationales 2026 Q&A | Instant Download Pdf

• Which of the following is the primary magnetic field strength of a

clinical MRI scanner?

• 0.1–0.2 Tesla
• 0.5–1 Tesla
• 1.5–3 Tesla
• 5–7 Tesla

Rationale: Clinical MRI scanners commonly operate at 1.5 to 3 Tesla,

balancing image quality and patient safety.

2. The Larmor frequency is defined as the frequency at which:

• Protons move in a circle 1 / 4

• Nuclear spins precess around the magnetic field
• RF coils emit energy
• Magnetic gradients are applied

Rationale: The Larmor frequency is the rate at which nuclear spins

precess in the magnetic field, fundamental for MRI signal detection.

• What is the primary reason gadolinium-based contrast agents are used

in MRI?

• To increase tissue density
• To reduce scan time
• To enhance T1-weighted signal
• To suppress fat signal

Rationale: Gadolinium shortens T1 relaxation times, increasing signal

intensity on T1-weighted images, improving lesion detection.

• Which pulse sequence is most sensitive to detecting edema?
• T1-weighted
• Proton density
• T2-weighted
• Gradient echo

Rationale: T2-weighted sequences highlight water content, making

them sensitive to edema and inflammation.

5. SAR (Specific Absorption Rate) in MRI refers to:

• The magnetic field strength
• The rate of RF energy absorbed by the body 2 / 4

• Gradient coil efficiency
• Slice selection speed

Rationale: SAR measures the RF energy deposited in tissue, critical

for patient safety and regulatory compliance.

• Which of the following MRI sequences is most useful for visualizing

anatomy of the brain in multiple planes rapidly?

• Spin echo
• T1-weighted

C. FLAIR

• Diffusion-weighted

Rationale: FLAIR suppresses CSF and highlights pathology, making it

highly useful for brain imaging in multiple planes.

7. In MRI, “echo time” (TE) refers to:

• The time between RF pulse and start of gradient
• The time between two RF pulses
• The time between the RF pulse and the peak of the echo signal
• The total scan duration

Rationale: TE determines T2-weighting; it is the time from RF

excitation to signal measurement.

• A patient has a pacemaker. Which statement is true regarding MRI?
• MRI is always safe
• MRI is safe at low field only
• MRI is contraindicated unless pacemaker is MRI-conditional 3 / 4

• MRI can be performed with standard monitoring

Rationale: Traditional pacemakers are unsafe in MRI due to risk of

heating, malfunction, and arrhythmia. MRI-conditional devices may be scanned under strict protocols.

9. The function of a gradient coil is to:

• Produce the main magnetic field
• Detect MR signals
• Spatially encode the MR signal
• Suppress fat

Rationale: Gradient coils create linear variations in the magnetic

field, enabling spatial localization of signals.

• Which MRI artifact is caused by patient motion?
• Aliasing
• Ghosting
• Susceptibility
• Chemical shift

Rationale: Motion during the scan produces ghosting along the

phase-encoding direction.

11. Proton density weighting is achieved by using:

• Long TR and short TE
• Short TR and long TE
• Long TR and short TE
• Short TR and short TE
• / 4